Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures rise as Wall Street kicks off 2026

🔩 Aluminum hits $3,000 for first time since 2022 on supply concern

Aluminum climbed above $3,000 a ton for the first time in more than three years on a tightening supply outlook and long-term demand bets, joining other base metals notching recent milestones.

A cap on Chinese smelting capacity and constraints to European production due to higher electricity prices have chipped away at global inventories, while the demand outlook from the construction and renewable sectors remains robust.

Futures rallied 17% last year, the most since 2021. Yahoo Finance reports.


🚗 Tesla sales outlook darkens despite Musk’s self-driving euphoria

Tesla Inc. (TSLA) ended last year on a roll, with investors increasingly buying into Elon Musk’s ebullience about autonomous vehicles.

Winning over actual car buyers was another story.

Shares in the world’s most valuable auto company soared in the second half, largely on the basis of its chief executive officer touting advances in artificial intelligence and robotics.

But the progress Musk trumpeted didn’t translate to success in showrooms — the company likely sold fewer vehicles in the last six months than a year earlier, despite record deliveries in the third quarter. Yahoo Finance reports.


🛥️ Rubico Inc. announces acquisition of newbuilding mega yacht

The Company had previously announced that it had entered into a letter of intent providing an exclusivity period during which the Company conducted a due diligence process and evaluated the potential transaction.

As previously announced, an advance payment of $4.0 million made pursuant to the letter of intent was credited against the purchase price of the newbuilding mega yacht.

A special independent committee composed of independent members of the Company's board of directors negotiated and approved the acquisition, after obtaining a fairness opinion from an independent financial advisor. Globe Newswire reports.


🍗 Shares of KFC and Pizza Hut Indian operator Devyani jump on merger with rival franchisee Sapphire

Shares of KFC and Pizza Hut Indian operator Devyani International rose as much as 5.3% after it announced plans to merge with rival franchisee Sapphire Foods India.

Yum! Brands owns fast-food chains like KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, and operates them in India through franchise partners such as Devyani International, Sapphire Foods India and Burman Hospitality.

The deal would combine the two major franchisee operators for Yum! Brands in India into a single entity, overseeing KFC and Pizza Hut in the country.

While Devyani International did not confirm the deal size, Reuters reported that the transaction is valued at $934 million. CNBC reports.


📱 TikTok signs deal to spin off its US entity with American investor group

TikTok has signed the deal backed by President Donald Trump to spin off its US assets to create a new entity with a group of mostly American investors, CEO Shou Chew told employees in a memo Thursday.

Although the transaction is not yet complete, the move brings TikTok one step closer to securing its long-term future in the United States.

It comes after a law passed last year required that the US version of the app be spun off from its parent company, ByteDance, or be banned in the United States.

Trump repeatedly delayed enforcement of the law as he pursued a deal to transfer control of the popular app to American ownership. CNN Business reports.


👟 Nike CEO joins Tim Cook in betting his own money that the stock is bottoming

Shares of Nike surged Wednesday after investors in the struggling athletic-gear giant learned that another top insider was spending a lot of his own money to bet that the worst may be behind the company.

The latest disclosure of an insider purchase, this one by Chief Executive Elliott Hill, comes with the stock set to extend its record-long yearly losing streak to four years.

The iconic sneaker company has fallen behind its competition and as consumers have pulled back on discretionary spending. MarketWatch reports.

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– Benjamin Graham

Sourced in: The Intelligent Investor – Investopedia Summary.

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